Strategic Fundraising for Purpose and Profit

Why “For-Profit” Wins for Christian Not-for-Profit Organizations

Few words make Christian leaders more uncomfortable than fundraising. For many Christian schools and faith-based organizations, it has long been treated as a necessary burden. No one wants to talk about money.

That discomfort is costly.

That’s the tension recently explored in the Clearly Christian podcast, where Dr. Cy Smith sat down with Justin Savini, Founder of Savini Solutions and Advancement Director at Delmarva Christian School, to shed some light on fundraising, sustainability, and the mindset shifts Christian organizations must make if they want to thrive. While the conversation was rooted in Christian education, its implications extend to any mission-driven organization wrestling with growth, stewardship, and long-term impact.

Chalkboard Point #1:  Fundraising is about creating strategies and initiatives to amplify your mission

“Fundraising isn’t a role or a function of a job. It’s a strategic part of our business that not only generates revenue, but propels our mission for maximum impact.” It’s clear to Dr. Smith, and should be to others, that fundraising is one of the primary ways the mission moves forward.  It’s a key component of success.

Does this sound familiar? Christian schools, in particular, were often built on sacrifice. Tuition rarely covered the true cost of education. Teachers were paid modestly. Leaders stretched limited resources as far as possible. Fundraising existed primarily to keep the doors open, not to build for the future.

Over time, survival became the benchmark. Breaking even felt like success. Margin felt uncomfortable. Strategic investment felt risky.

But survival-based thinking limits impact.

“No margin, no mission,” says Justin Savini.   Without margin, organizations lose flexibility. Vision narrows. Leaders are forced into reactive decisions instead of proactive planning. The mission may remain strong in theory, but it lacks the fuel to move.

Money is not the mission, but it is the means.

Strategic fundraising begins when leaders stop treating it as “asking for money” and start seeing it as inviting others into meaningful work. Savini describes fundraising as relational at its core, explaining that when leaders focus on telling the story of impact, the right supporters often respond by asking how they can help.

Further, many Christian schools still operate with what Dr. Smith calls a “public-school mindset”, the belief that families simply enroll based on geography or tradition. But today’s landscape is different. School choice, rising costs, and increasing competition mean Christian schools must clearly articulate their value and intentionally build stakeholder support.

Fundraising, then, becomes one of the primary ways that organizations clarify who they are and why they matter.

Chalkboard Point #2: Any successful organization, including Christian Schools, will need to do marketing, branding, strategic planning, etc., to drive consumer behavior

One of the most common barriers to strategic fundraising is hesitation to invest in it. Boards worry about budgets already under strain. Leaders hesitate to add development staff or outside support because resources feel scarce.

Savini addresses this tension plainly: “Christian schools often say, ‘We wish we could afford help.’ But the reality is, they can’t afford not to build it.” Development is one of the few areas in a nonprofit that can actually multiply resources rather than consume them. When it’s under-resourced, the organization remains stuck in scarcity.

Dr. Smith echoes this concern, pointing out that Christian schools often expect fundraising to succeed without giving it the infrastructure it requires. “You can no longer take these things for granted,” he says, “and assume that just having ‘Christian’ in your name will attract the right audience.” Strategic fundraising requires planning, investment, and leadership buy-in.

At the root of these struggles is a misunderstanding of what “nonprofit” truly means. Nonprofit does not mean “for-loss”. It does not mean avoiding surplus. It simply means individuals do not personally benefit from excess revenue. The organization can and it should.

Healthy margin allows Christian organizations to build reserves, invest in people, improve programs, and weather unexpected challenges. “If you have money left at the end of the year, you didn’t fail,” Savini says.  “You gained the ability to build.”

“If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill”, says Savini.  It’s a clear call to faith and stewardship.  But that confidence does not eliminate responsibility. Faith and action were never meant to compete. Scripture consistently pairs prayer with preparation and calling with obedience.

Strategic fundraising is not about becoming sales-driven. It is about becoming mission-serious.

Purpose and profit are not enemies.They are partners.

And when Christian leaders embrace that truth, they give their organizations permission to grow with strength, clarity, and lasting impact.  That’s a choice that is strategically better than the opportunity to just survive.

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For more information about Dr. Cy Smith, Mansfield Christian School, and/or the Clearly Christian Education movement, click on ClearlyChristianEducation.com.